Bilge pump



H. JAFFE BILGE PUMP Sept. 1, 1964 Filed June 6, 1963 A N W W Wm WWW/A w W United States Patent C 3,146,753 BILGE PUMP Herbert Jaife, 57 Elinor Place, Freeport, N.Y. Filed June 6, 1963, Ser. No. 286,019 3 Claims. (Cl. 114-183) This invention relates to a bilge pump and, in particular, a bilge pump actuated by the roll of a ship or a craft in which it is installed.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide an improved bilge pump consisting of a gear pump supported in a novel manner, such that the gear pump serves as a pendulum mass which swings to and fro upon roll of the craft in which the pump is installed, whereby when the pump mass swings in one direction potential energy is being imparted to the swinging structure. Re turn swing in the other direction drives an overruning clutch to cause the gear pump to lift water from the craft. Accordingly, it is a further object of the invention to effect a simple and reliable pump mechanism which does not require an external actuating source such as an external motor to effect pump operation.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a pump structure for a craft, in particular, marine craft which is relatively simple and economical in fabrication, structure and use, and wherein installation and operation of the device is readily manageable and does not require technical skill.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the invention taken in conjunction with the figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the essential features of a pump in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of same depicting the pump in two conditions of swing status.

Bilge pump 11) includes a base 11 equipped to be bolted to the bottom of a boat (not shown), whereby the level of the water 12 normally in the boat is slightly higher than the water intake hole 13 of a gear pump 14. Gear pump 14 is a standard, conventional pump equipped for drawing water in at intake 13 and lifting the water by means of a pair of internal meshing gears to the top of pump 14, wherein the water is ejected at the pump outlet 15 to a hose 15a attached thereto for release to the sea.

It will be understood that gear pump 14, as a conventional device, has a pair of internal rotatable gears 16, 17, note FIG. 2. Gears 16, 17 are operated by a pump drive shaft 18. When shaft 18 is turned in clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2, the arrangement of the conventionally operated gear pump sucks water in from the bottom via 13. The water is lifted by the gear teeth, between the internal wall of the gear pump casing and the gear teeth, which teeth act as buckets or paddles and thus raise the water peripherally to eject same at 15. The lifted water is depicted by the arrow line 16a, 17a.

Gear pump 14 is suspended in fixed attachment to spaced side brackets 19, 20. The upper ends of side brackets 19, 20 are journalled to swing freely about the axis of a horizontally supported rod 21. Rod 21 is keyed to upstanding spaced brackets 22, 23, which brackets 22, 23 are integral with base 11.

A large gear 24 is also keyed to rod 21. Gear 24 3,146,753 Patented Sept. 1, 196 4 Ice meshes with a small gear 25. Small gear 25 is keyed to a drive shaft 26 of a conventional overrunning drive clutch 27. The output of drive clutch 27 is operatively coupled to pump shaft 18.

It will be understood that clutch 27 is equipped to transmit positive motion in one direction only. For example, motion imparted to gear 25 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in the figures, is transmitted to shaft 18 to turn same clockwise to operate gear pump 14. Conversely, motion imparted to gear 25 in a counterclockwise direction does not impart any turning to pump shaft 18.

The suitably shaped brackets 19, 20 in combination with the gear pump structure supported therebetween act as a pendulum-mass weight. Consequently, when the bilge pump as contemplated herein is installed in a boat, the rocking of the boat operates the pump. For example, assume the boat rolls to rise on the left side of the vertical axis as depicted in FIG. 2, this is depicted by the solid outllne of base 11. The foregoing arrangement causes gear 24 to act upon the freely turning small gear 25. Gear 25 is part of the swingable pendulum weight structure; hence, gear 25 turns counterclockwise wherein potential energy is being stored by the pendulum mass. When the boat returns level or rolls beyond the vertical axis as depicted by the dashed outline of base 11, the gear action is such to cause small gear 25 to rotate clockwise, which transmits a positive drive to gear pump 14 to lift and pump water. Furthermore, when the boat returns level or as indicated before, when it swings in accordance 'with the first described roll, the pump is now undergoing a phase of action for storing potential energy.

It is, therefore, seen that the force of pumping is supplied by the boat when it swings in one direction of roll to build up maximum potential energy in the pendulum means, which converts to kinetic energy when the boat swings in the other direction.

It will be noted that the roll of the vessel actually serves as the motivating force for imparting turning force to gear pump 14 via clutch 27 However, the roll of the vessel may be very slight in angular sweep. Consequently, such slight or small angular roll is amplified or multiplied by using a large gear 24 as the driving gear to turn the small driven gear 25, whereby small angular roll is amplified to a large angular turning for operating gear pump 14.

It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is clamed is:

1. A bilge pump for ejecting water from a marine craft or the like comprising, base means attached to a bottom of the craft, said base means having upright supports, a support rod carried between said supports, gear pump means suspended for free swinging motion as a pendulum mass from said rod, said pump means having an intake for drawing in water from said craft bottom and also having an outlet for ejecting the water therefrom, overrunning clutch means supported by said pump means for actuating pumping action, and a gear train for imparting turning motion to said clutch means in response to the roll of said craft wherein water is pumped from the bottom of said craft.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said gear train includes a first gear keyed to said support rod and a second gear engaging therewith for peripheral travel in response to roll of said craft, said second gear being equipped to permit input turning motion to said clutch means.

3. A bilge pump for ejecting water from a craft or the like comprising, base means secured to the bottom of the craft, support means carried by said base means, gear pump means suspended for free swinging motion as a pendulum mass from said support means, pumping means having an intake for drawing in Water from said craft bottom and having outlet means for ejecting the Water therefrom, overrunning clutch means supported by said pump means for imparting positive unidirectional actuating pumping motion to said pump means, and a gear train for imparting turning motion to said clutch means in response to the roll of said craft wherein water is pumped from the bottom of said craft.

No references cited. 

1. A BILGE PUMP FOR EJECTING WATER FROM A MARINE CRAFT OF THE LIKE COMPRISING, BASE MEANS ATTACHED TO A BOTTOM OF THE CRAFT, SAID BASE MEANS HAVING UPRIGHT SUPPORTS, A SUPPORT ROD CARRIED BETWEEN SAID SUPPORTS, GEAR PUMP MEANS SUSPENDED FOR FREE SWINGING MOTION AS A PENDULUM MASS FROM SAID ROD, SAID PUMP MEANS HAVING AN INTAKE FOR DRAWING IN WATER FROM SAID CRAFT BOTTOM AND ALSO HAVING AN OUTLET FOR EJECTING THE WATER THEREFROM, OVERRUNNING CLUTCH MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID PUMP MEANS FOR ACTUATING PUMPING ACTION, AND A GEAR IN RESPONSE TO THE ROLL OF SAID CRAFT WHEREIN WATER IS PUMPED FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID CRAFT. 